Friday, June 26, 2009

Hi, I was Pratibha in the play। I was going to write in Marathi and hence was taking the time to write it. But English seems to be coming to me more naturally these days. So, here goes.

I feel Sahasrachandradarshan, more than anything is a fantastic introspection into the subconscious. Not because of the story itself but because how Pradeep chose to direct it. It was based on the philosophy that when two people genuinely interact, there is drama created automatically. Hence, in order for two characters to genuinely interact, it was necessary that each character delves into their subconscious, and thereby come closer to the character they are playing.

I feel this had to be a fantastic exercise, although I wish I were more a part of it.

I came quite later into the picture. And just like the placebo effect of a medicine works on your psychology more than your physiology, the effect of the play is profound. My coming to Pune from Toronto, just in time for this play in itself is an amazing coincidence. There have been many such "coincidences" throughout this process for other people in the play as well and I strongly feel that it is the subconscious at work.

This play is not only a theatrical achievement, but also an important experiment in psychology.

It was an important part of my life and I was trying to discover myself all over again in real life. I feel the same was true with the character Pratibha. Because Pratibha had been away from her home in Konkan for such a long time, she is now trying to make things better by arranging for a grand ceremony of her mother's 81st birthday.

She is trying not to feel guilty of what she had done to the family when she ran away from home. She is trying to come to terms with her present and with the contradiction of life-style it creates with her past.

I had a hard time in the beginning trying to relate to each character in the play. I was very nervous about being on stage after such a long gap. I had lost the ability to be myself in front of strangers. I had grown too conscious of my physical presence. I couldn't relate to the mother in the play at all.

So, Pradeep asked me to make a list of items I would bring for my mother as gifts. And that started a whole series of thought process for me. I built stories around each object from Pratibha's childhood. This was a very memorable exercise for me and helped me a lot during performance.

It was an important milestone for my self-discovery personally as well as character wise. I will never forget my days with the Sahasrachandradarshan team.